Political Economies

Contemporary political economies are mixtures of fascism, socialism, capitalism, anarchism, etc. Most of them stress aspects of certain systems more than those of others but in each one will find a mixture. Recent largely fascist systems are those of Mussolini’s Italy, Peron’s Argentina, Hitler’s Third Reich, Chavez’ Venezuela, and several of recent Middle Eastern regimes (e. g. , Libya), Egypt, et al. So called communist regimes are also effectively fascist since they tend to be ruled by an undemocratic group of rulers”e. . , North Korea, Cuba. Welfare Statism The welfare state or, from the economic viewpoint, the mixed economy, may be understood as a combination of the principles of capitalism and socialism. Sometimes the emphasis in this system is placed not so much on economic as on certain moral considerations. Basically the welfare state consists of a legal system that aims at securing for everyone the negative right to liberty and the positive right to well being.

The welfare state, which is to say most Western countries, balances the two values that together seem to its advocates to be the bedrock of a civilized society. No one ought to have his or her sovereignty seriously compromised, nor should anyone be permitted to fall below a certain standard of living. This is difficult to maintain ecause at different times one or another of these objectives will probably take priority and in mostly democratic systems political leaders will vacillate between giving more support to one or the other.

The right to strike, for example, which is the negative liberty to quit one’s Job in an effort to gain respect for one’s terms of employment, may conflict with the positive right to be provided with various services–e. g. , health care, mail delivery or education. It is indeed a prominent feature of the welfare state that both negative and positive rights receive their legal protection. Negative rights involve respect for a person’s life, liberty and property–that is, everyone is by law supposed to abstain from interfering with these.

Positive rights, in turn, involve respect for a person’s basic needs–that is, everyone who is unable to secure the requirements ot survival and even tlourishing is supposed to have those provided by way of the appropriate public policy (e. g. , taxation, mandated services, public education, national health care). The moral underpinnings of the welfare state can be utilitarianism, altruism or certain intuitively held moral precepts. Utilitarianism requires that all pursue the eneral welfare and whatever public policies to facilitate this were needed would be justified.

Although many utilitarians believe that the general welfare is best achieved when government operates in a largely laissez-faire fashion, there is no objection to government intervention in social affairs if without those many in the society may fail to achieve a decent and prosperous form of life. Altruists, in turn, often hold that to make certain that people fulfill their primary obligation to help others, it is necessary to introduce public measures that will secure such help, given that many might wish o breach their duty to do the right thing.

Finally, there is the claim that by our common intuitions it is evident that both a measure of personal liberty and social welfare must be guaranteed to all, lest the quality of life in society fall below what it should be. While people object to the welfare state from several other perspectives, it is thought by its supporters to be the most stable modern political orders. Although it is characterized by much dispute and controversy, in the long run, its supporters maintain, the system seems to be overall satisfactory and Just.